Two days after the Janata Dal (Secular) joined the National Democratic Alliance, party leader and former chief minister H.D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy on Monday met BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa at the latter’s residence in Bengaluru. BJP MLA Muniratna accompanied Nikhil to Yediyurappa’s residence.
"As we all know JDS and BJP are now a part of the NDA alliance. On that basis, Mr Yediyurappa is one of the tallest leaders in Karnataka. So I just came here to take his blessings personally. We all know that they share a good bond," Nikhil told reporters after the meeting.
"Even in 2006-07 when BJP and JDS had a coalition, H.D. Kumaraswamy's tenure has given a lot of developments and so did Yediyurappa in his tenure," he said.
The JD(S) joined hands with the BJP on Friday and the two parties are expected to announce the seat sharing formula after Dussehra festival for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP believes an alliance with the JD(S) will ensure its domination in Karnataka in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as the regional party enjoys considerable influence in the southern parts of the state where the saffron party has traditionally been weak.
The alliance with the saffron party has, however, ruffled feathers of a few in the JD(S) with Vice President Syed Shafiulla Saheb announcing his resignation. Many leaders, including M. Srikanth and UT Ayesha Farzana, have also resigned from the party.